Outcasts
by LadyLisa
Summary: What if instead of Belle, there was another woman who had claimed Rumple's heart? A fellow outcast, who knew what is was to be feared? Who knew people aren't always as dark they're painted? Rumple/OC. I am truly awful at summaries!
1. The Deal is Struck

**Authors Note: Well here it is my first OUAT fanfic! I've had this story for a Rumple/OC in my head for a long time and meant to post it before the writers of the show came out with Rumbelle and then it seemed a little redundant. But it wouldn't leave me alone so I decided to put it up anyway. I don't own anything from OUAT except my OC and I don't even own her. She's not technically a Fairy-Tale character, but when Frankenstein joined the troupe it seemed acceptable. I hope you enjoy! – LadyLisa.**

Night time had fallen but the forest still pulsed with the heat of the afternoon sun. Between the towering trees in the glow of the moon walked a young man and woman, almost too weary to carry on but with nothing to turn back to and no choice but to drag their bare, blistered feet further down the dirt road. Both wore heavy, hooded cloaks for despite the heat, nothing was more important than avoiding discovery.

They had been walking for hours and still it seemed there was no end in sight. The forest seemed to stretch forward into eternity, nothing to distinguish the miles of woodland that lay ahead with the miles they had already put behind them.

With every step, both seemed to become more and more agitated, glancing cautiously into the darkness at the sound of every snapping twig, every rustle of leaves. The fear of the hunted of the hunter.

Suddenly the forest fell into darkness. Dark clouds had gathered, blotting out the pearly rays of the moon and the low rumble of thunder echoed about them. The man glanced up at the sky, frightened by the sudden darkness, as though he read his own death sentence in the stars. The woman turned round to find her partner had come to a halt in the middle of the road.

"No more. I will go no further." His voice shook with fear but it was determined.

"What do you mean? It can't be far now." She said.

"This cannot be the way. There must be something else we can do, somewhere else we can try." He pleaded.

The woman sighed wearily. "I can't say I don't have my own misgivings," she admitted softly, "But there is nothing else for it. Our people are under threat. We are being hunted down and no one will even _attempt_ to protect us. There is nowhere else for us to turn, we have to try."

"But to seek his help-"

"I know," she gently placed her fingertips on his lips, "But we have no choice."

He looked into her dark eyes and saw fear. The same fear he knew was mirrored in his own. But there was something in her eyes that was missing from his. A determination to follow this dangerous and uncertain road at whatever cost.

For what was waiting for her at the end of this road – was sanctuary.

"Here we are." The woman said softly. "This is the place."

Slowly, as though stepping on sacred ground, they made their way into a small clearing in the forest.

"Are you sure?" The man asked, glancing about him.

The young woman smiled wryly "Have I ever been wrong before?" she asked, looking about her. Certainly there was nothing here that appeared any different from the miles of forest they had passed through. But somehow she knew instinctively that this was their destination. Just as she could tell the people who came to her looking for answers to what lay in their futures, and the paths that needed to be taken. Had she known it, it was this very skill that put her, and her people, in such grave danger.

"Well if this is the spot, then where the hell is he?" The man asked gruffly.

"Tut tut, so impatient!" A voice jeered. The couple jumped and spun around to find the strange figure Rumplestiltskin sitting cross-legged on a fallen log. He seemed rather amused by their fright.

"Shouldn't you have seen that coming dearie?" he asked the young woman with a mischievous grin.

The man by her side put his hand to his belt to grasp his dagger but the young woman stayed his hand. This was their last chance at survival. This man held their entire future in his reptilian hands.

Pushing her hood from her head she walked up to face him, trying desperately to feel as brave as she was trying to look.

"What I need to know," she asked, trying to keep the tremor from her voice, "Is can you help us?"

Rumplestiltskin rose to his feet, his fingertips pressed together in contemplation.

"That remains to be seen. Why don't you enlighten me as to your," he flourished his hands, _predicament_."

She took a deep breath to steady herself. "It is no secret what is happening to my people. The Queen is hunting us down, killing any gypsy she finds. We don't know why, we just know that it is pointless to try and reason with her. We came here tonight to ask for your help. Is there anything you can do to protect us?"

Rumpelstilskin surveyed the woman before him closely. She was a young woman, with the golden brown skin of those who spend their entire lives under the blaze of the sun. She was a rather small woman in stature, with a head of black curls flowing down past her chest, a green scarf tying it off her forehead and her dark brown eyes, framed by long sooty lashes, seemed almost too big for her small heart-shaped face. She hardly cut an imposing figure. But there was a ferocious energy about her, putting him in mind of a small dog with a savage bite. He grinned a wide malicious grin.

"There is very little I can't do Dearie."

"Can you do this?"

"For a price."

The woman visibly relaxed at these words. They had passed the first stage, he had agreed to help. The price she regarded as inconsequential. Her companion however tensed, gripping the handle of his dagger tightly.

"What price is that?" he growled. Rumplestilskin cackled mischievously.

"All great deeds demand sacrifice. Tell me my dear," he leaned in close to the young woman's face, "What would you give to keep your people out of harm's way?"

"Anything it takes." She said. "Just tell us what you want."

"What I want…is you."

"What do you want with me?" her voice trembled. He let out another terrible, high-pitched giggle.

"What would a creature like me want with a woman who can foresee the future?" he asked sarcastically, and she felt her heart clench in her chest.

"I help you out," Rumpelstiltskin continued, "And your gift, you _mind, _belong to me." He pressed his fingers against her forehead, staring deep into her eyes "How badly do you want it?"

She stared at him for what could have been minutes, seconds or hours. Time had ceased to exist, ceased to matter in this moment. The moment you know your world will change forever, and you will never come back the same.

"Deal." And reaching out, she shook his hand.

"No!" the man screamed, as though this handshake had been her death warrant. "No, Esmeralda I won't let you!" She turned slowly to face him.

"It's done." She whispered. Tears gathered in her eyes and this time she made no attempt to hold them back. A terrible fear had awakened inside her. Instinctively she knew that this could never end in anything but tragedy. Esmeralda threw herself into her friend's arms and clutched him to her. He had also begun to cry and his tears cascaded down his cheeks, into her black hair as he clutched her to him.

"I hate to destroy such a beautiful moment," Rumpelstilskin said, "But I have other appointments to keep. And so come, my dear." And reaching out, he pulled Esmeralda from the man's arms and to his side.

"Where are you taking me?" Esmeralda demanded, "_Why_ are you taking me? I won't go back on my word, I swear it!"

"Oh I'm sure of that dearie. But it is wise _to protect one's assets_."

The man drew his dagger from his belt and charged forward, raising the blade high. Rumpelstilskin merely smiled and as the dagger came down upon him, clicked his fingers and with a puff of purple smoke, he and Esmeralda vanished into the night air, leaving nothing but a heartbroken lover, and the roar of an approaching storm.

**Well there you go! Not the greatest chapter I'll admit but it does get better. I know it has a distinct Rumbelle flavour to it, but it's how I always imagined the story. It IS possible for 2 people to have similar ideas! Truly! Should I keep going or take it down? Let me know! - LadyLisa**


	2. Bargaining

**Authors Note: Here it is, Chapter 2. For my original Author's Note see Chapter One. Please enjoy! – LadyLisa.**

The sound of the bird's morning song stirred Esmeralda from her sleep, and she remained curled up, eyes closed, listening to the joyful sound. It was a sound that was as familiar to her as her own voice, for in all the years she had spent roving the world, sleeping out of doors all across the vast lands of the kingdom, the lively chatter of birds' was what she awoke to every day, mingled with the chatter of her tribe as they sat about the campfire and the smells of the fire and the morning meal. Automatically, she inhaled deeply, seeking out these familiar, comforting scents. But they did not come.

Then it hit her, sudden and sickening, the events of the previous night flooding back in one swift cruel blow. The forest. The pact. And Rumplestiltskin.

Her eyes flew open and, now wide awake; she sat up abruptly to view her surroundings. She was in a small dungeon, with a cold, flagstone floor, littered with straw, with a stone bench the only furniture. Set high up on the far wall, was a small barred window, the only source of light in the room, with the warm summer sun flooding in between the bars. She felt glad of it, for though it was too high up for her to look out on the world, it seeped into the moulding stones and made the dungeon warm.

Esmeralda was not troubled about sleeping on straw. She had slept in far worse conditions during her nomadic life. But she shuddered to think on what it must be like to sleep in this room in winter, when the floor was slick with ice, and there was no protection from the harsh, chilling winds that would beat through the window.

But surely he didn't intend on keeping her locked up in this one room for the rest of her life? It was inconceivable to a woman who had spent her life free of restraint, wandering the world at will. She would go crazy within months!

She pressed her fingers to her temples with urgency and tried to think, to remember what had happened when she had arrived last night. It was all such a horrid blur.

They had been in the woods. She had met Rumplestiltskin there with…but there was no time to think of him now. She couldn't bear to.

They had asked for help. For protection. And he had offered it. For a price.

_"I help you out, and your gift, you mind, belong to me."_

He had wanted her sight. Wanted to use her for his own purposes. What they were Esmeralda didn't know but the idea still make her sick with dread. And then he had taken her with him. Why had he taken her?

_It is wise to protect one's assets._

And there it was. She had gone in one, swift night from a woman, to a bargaining chip, to a weapon. She had sold her very soul for the fate of her friends and family. They were to be kept safe and her life, was no longer her own.

The next hour was a whirlwind, a blur of indistinct moments difficult to remember in her shocked state. She remembered arriving in the castle, a grand room filled with curious objects, of long nails digging into her arm as she was dragged down a long, dimly lit corridor and a pain shooting up her leg as she was thrown unceremoniously onto the hard, flagstone floor. And above it all, a terrible, shrieking, inhuman laugh.

Esmeralda pulled her knees to her chest and began to sob pitifully. She was not sorry she had done it. She had saved the lives of hundreds and there was no greater cause to give your life for. But though she was not sorry she was still human, and while she was human, to be taken away from everything she loved and valued, even by her own hand, must be felt hard.

Quite suddenly, her sobbing ceased as the click of a lock reached her, and she realised that the door to her cell was being unlocked. She raised her head off her knees and looked up as the door slowly started to creak open. As Rumplestilskin came into sight, she saw he still wore that same, gloating smirk on his lizards face, and in an instant all self-pity vanished into single, pulsating hate.

In one swift movement she was standing, not just standing but charging across the room, her many bangles and bracelets jangling furiously. And raising her hand, she struck him, with all of her might across the face.

The sound of the slap resonated off the stone walls and for a moment there was deafening silence. Rumplestiltskin slowly turned his head back to face her own, still wet with tears. For a moment, he merely stared, and Esmeralda braced herself for the beating that was surely to come. However, he merely laughed.

"Well, well!" he smiled "That's gratitude for you!"

"Let me go." She demanded coldly. Rumplestiltskin shook his head and began to pace the floor, circling her slowly, like a vulture.

"No, no, no don't forget, this is what you agreed to Dearie!" he pointed a long finger at her. "I keep your little tribe out of harm's way, and in turn you, belong to me."

"I offered you my skills. I did not offer myself entire."

"Ah but you see, I never make a deal without…_collateral_." He smiled

Esmeralda eyed him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

"I need some assurance, some kind of security. How do I know you shall hold up your end of the bargain?"

"I gave you my word." He waved this away inconsequentially.

"Yes but words are so easily broken. It's time to face facts Dearie," standing in front of her, he leaned in closely, his dark eyes boring into her. "For as long as your people remain safe, you belong to me."

And turning abruptly, he made his way to the door. Esmeralda stood, helpless, trying to think quickly. There must be _something_…

"Wait!" she cried suddenly. Rumplestiltskin stopped and spun about to face her. "How will you know?"

He looked at her with cheerful interest. "How will I know what Dearie?"

"How will you know I belong to you?" Rumplestiltskin's smile flickered briefly. "How do you know, if what I tell you is what I see," she spoke slowly and deliberately, letting her words sink in, her eyes locked on his face. "You may think you own me, Rumplestiltskin, but in truth I own you. You need me. Whatever your own plans for the Queen are, they rest on my loyalty. One false word and I can destroy any chance you have." Slowly, she began to smile, for though she had started to speak in desperation, it suddenly dawned on her that what she was speaking was true. _She_ owned _him_. Body and soul. "However, I would be willing to offer my loyalty," she fluttered her hands with his trademark flourish. "_For a price_."

"And what price would that be?" Despite his smiling face, his voice had become cool and measured.

"I will stay here with you, but I am not to be kept prisoner. I will have my own room, full access to the castle and its grounds, and in return my people will remain safe and _my gift, my mind_," she mimicked, pressing her fingertips to his temples, "belong to you. Now, do we have a deal?"

Esmeralda held out her hand and waited. The silence was deafening. She could see the wheels turning in his head, and for the first time his trademark smirk had vanished, replaced by a look of icy contempt.

Suddenly he stepped back, raising his hand, and though she tried to stand firm, Esmeralda involuntarily flinched, once more waiting for him to strike her. But it did not come. Instead he gestured to the door, which slowly creaked open, and he smiled a smile which did not reach his eyes,

"Well then, welcome home Dearie."

**OK so that's all the boring explanations out of the way, now we can get on with the good stuff! Also, I DO have a Storybrooke version of Esmeralda tucked away. Should I include the present or just stay in the past for now? Let me know what you think. About that and he rest of the story too! Review away people! Xxx - LadyLisa**


End file.
